"Craziest experience of my life" - Olivia Dunne makes her feelings known as she receives love from Louisiana during Mardi Gras celebrations

Social media star and LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne is the highest-paid female NIL athlete. Recently, the youngster reflected on her experience of being the Grand Marshall at Mardi Gras, calling it one of the ‘craziest’ moments of her life.

In early February, Dunne achieved a feat accomplished by no other gymnast, when she was named the Grand Marshal for the 2025 Krewe of Endymion parade. The parade, the largest of Mardi Gras, features more than 3,200 riders and 37 floats, which take a trip around Mid-City, New Orleans.

On March 1, Olivia Dunne took on her role of Grand Marshall for the Endymion Parade, donning an elegant emerald green gown for the occasion. After the parade, the gymnast took to her Instagram stories to reflect on her unique experience, writing,

“Craziest experience of my life. I love you Louisiana!”

Via Olivia Dunne's Instagram story

Olivia Dunne is currently one of the best-known faces of collegiate gymnastics. Competing in her fifth and final year for LSU, the youngster often shares glimpses of her everyday life with her fans.

Olivia Dunne on helping the growth of gymnastics and women's sport

Dunne at the Fanatics Fest NYC 2024 (Image Source: Getty)

Olivia Dunne first gained popularity in 2020, when she began sharing glimpses of her day-to-day life as a student-athlete on social media. Since then the American has skyrocketed to fame and has used her platform to help her fellow athletes, with efforts like the ‘Livvy Fund’, which helps female student-athletes in earning new NIL opportunities.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Dinner reflected on the pressures of fame, saying,

"I was 18 years old when everything changed, and I felt like I couldn't breathe, I felt like I couldn't make a mistake. But something you learn on social media is you will get hate and you will get people that are bitter towards you, especially when you have success.”

However, the gymnast went on to add that her popularity helped her promote gymnastics and women's sports, saying,

“But I think that having the eyes on me has been such a blessing in my life, and I feel like it's translated over into eyes on the sport of gymnastics, which was a huge deal to me and a huge reason why I kept coming back for more. Watching the growth of the sport, and women's sports overall, has meant so much to me.”

Olivia Dunne is currently competing in her final season for the LSU Tigers. The gymnast has sat out the team's recent meets due to an injury with her knee, and it remains to be seen if she will return to action in time for the Tigers' next meet, which is scheduled for March 7.